This VISTA member will work primarily with local partners in increasing the capacity, collaboration, and effectiveness of specific county plans to address homelessness, along with MDHI support and oversight. Available VISTA opportunities are with: Metro Denver Homeless Initiative and the regional systems level work; Metro Community Provider Network, expanding the scope and reach of their homeless services program and the Arapahoe County's work to end homeless; the City of Aurora’s homeless programs, in conjunction with Aurora@Home; Family Promise ensuring sustainability of their family shelter and diversion programming; Access Housing working to operationalize their housing focused programming and within Adams County supporting new outreach efforts and overall plans; and Family Tree supporting their service programming and Jefferson County’s Heading Home planning group.
VISTAs will serve as county or city-specific capacity building supports as well as liaisons to the Continuum of Care that is MDHI. VISTA is a program to build capacity and expand the scope, reach, and sustainability of projects; they are not direct service with those experiencing homelessness. As part of the OneHome project, AmeriCorps VISTA members will collaborate with the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative (MDHI) and other community partners to implement a coordinated region-wide approach in creating a Homeless Crisis Response System to assess the needs of those at-risk of or experiencing homelessness, prioritize housing and service resources, and match individuals and families with appropriate resources. The system also involves collaboration among agencies to create other options including diversion, prevention and increasing stability services. This position is part of a Metro Denver Homeless Initiative VISTA program, which supports a team of VISTA members working throughout the Denver Metro area on local and regional efforts to prevent and end homelessness.

Member Duties : Key Responsibilities Include: 1. Work with local partners, including individuals, governmental, non-profit, and faith based organizations from the area to support collaboration and effectiveness of local and regional plans to end homelessness 2. Assist in implementation and expansion of the OneHome Coordinated Assessment and Housing Placement System 3. Act as a liaison at MDHI meetings and other regional opportunities to local stakeholders 4. Participate in monthly regional AmeriCorps VISTA Project meetings 5. Contribute content and dashboard data for website, social media and community newsletters 6. Assist in developing protocols for linking those in need with appropriate local resource providers 7. Improve and expand on currently available systems to address homelessness, and the development of new processes to address needs. 8. Other priorities identified by local site and VISTA member